In an airport environment, air traffic control and individual aircraft use various systems and protocols in an attempt to efficiently negotiate the airport runways and taxiways without incident. For example, aircraft systems may include synthetic vision systems (SVS) with airport moving map displays that render data from an airport mapping database on a display to improve situational awareness of the aircraft operator and/or air traffic control. Air traffic control systems may include airport surface detection equipment (ASDE-X), airport movement area safety systems (AMASS), and/or airport surface surveillance capability systems (ASSC) that may detect and display ground traffic. In some systems, air traffic control and aircraft may use lights, markings, and signage installed in various locations within the airport to assist in the orderly management of airport traffic. However, some conventional systems may be more challenging to implement during low visibility conditions in which the aircraft operator and/or air traffic control may have difficulty identifying the relevant features and generating the appropriate response. Although conventional display systems provide various types of information about the flight environment, such displays and associated systems may not be as helpful during airport environments.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide systems and methods that improve situational awareness and assist the aircraft operator and/or air traffic control in airport environments to improve the management of airport traffic. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description of the invention and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background of the invention.